Support for breastfeeding

Rates of breastfeeding are at their highest level in years, research shows. Almost eight out of 10 mums in England start off breastfeeding their baby, according to the Government's Infant Feeding Survey.

But only 25% of mums are still breastfeeding at six months, the survey reveals.

Dr Kath Ryan, a senior research fellow at Bournemouth University, interviewed 50 mums about their experiences. She says social pressure often contributed to women giving up breastfeeding.

'Breastfeeding isn't seen as normal in this country and until this changes, it's always going to be hard,' she says.

Support groups can make a big difference to successful breastfeeding.

'The mums I spoke to said if they had problems it was important to get help early on,' says Dr Ryan.

It is also really helpful to establish a support network before your baby is born. Find out from your midwife who you could talk to at your local hospital about breastfeeding - you may find there is someone who specialises in breastfeeding support. Enlist their help and seek advice before you have a newborn baby and the after-effects of labour and birth to worry about.

Talking to other mums about their experieneces can also be very helpful to give you a realistic idea of what's it's like to breastfeed - pros and cons.

A great place to read about mums' real experiences of breastfeeding is the dipex website here. This great website gives you the chance to hear and read about why other women decided to breastfeed and how they actually went about it. It can give you a real insight into the problems you might face and how to overcome them.

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